Mr. Laubach - APUSH - The Albany Congress and the Albany Plan of Union (guiding questions below)

Guiding Questions:
1. What was the historical context leading up to the Albany Congress in 1754?
2. Why were tensions between the colonies, Native American tribes, and the French growing during this period?
3. What was Benjamin Franklin's vision for colonial unity, and how did he express it before the Albany Congress?
4. What were the key provisions of the Albany Plan of Union that Franklin helped draft?
5. How did Franklin’s "Join, or Die" cartoon symbolize the message he was trying to convey at the Albany Congress?
6. Why did the colonies reject the Albany Plan of Union, despite the growing threats?
7. Why was the British government also opposed to the plan, and how did their concerns differ from those of the colonies?
8. How did Franklin reflect on the failure of the Albany Plan of Union, and what did he believe might have changed if it had been accepted?
9. In what ways did the ideas behind the Albany Plan influence later developments, such as the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution?
10. What lasting impact did Franklin’s involvement in the Albany Plan of Union have on the movement toward American independence and unity?